A cut and raked crop that has been dried or otherwise prepared in a field, such as hay, straw or other agricultural material is often gathered, compressed and shaped into a cylindrical crop package, commonly called bales, by an agricultural baler. The bales can be bound with netting, strapping, wire by the baler. Bales are formed by the baler in a series of processes including lifting crop material from a field, hereinafter referred to as hay, by way of a pickup portion of the baler. The hay is then moved into a chamber of the baler in which the hay is cut and compressed. Once a predetermined amount of hay has been gathered in the chamber, the hay is bound by the baler to form a bale. The bales can be bound with netting, strapping, wire by the baler. The bale is then moved out of the rear of the baler and loaded onto a bale accumulator.
Variable-chamber balers typically produce bales from 48 to 72 inches in diameter and up to approximately 62 inches in width. The bales can weigh from 1,000 to 2,500 pounds, depending upon size, material, and moisture content. The accumulator may carry one or more bales thereon while the baling operation is underway. When the accumulator is full, it is common to dump the multiple harvested bales in that location, thereby potentially reducing the travel time and field impact required to collect the deposited bales. However, configuring and controlling the accumulator in cooperation with the baler and tractor to effectively and efficiently form, collect, manipulate, and transport multiple bales may be challenging.